Doyle hosted giant kitchen party at the Jube in Edmonton

The Rough Side Out tour made a stop at the ‘Port of Edmonton’ on Saturday as Alan Doyle stopped off at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. Doyle stated, “We are sailing across Canada and thought we’d roll into the Port of Edmonton for a night cause when I think of sea shanty, the first thing that comes to mind is Edmonton.”

Newfoundlanders are very proud of their heritage. A big part of that heritage includes story telling. Whether the tale be tall, long or a short snippet, a ditty, if you will, quite often there is an element of the past. Many of these stories have been transformed into songs. This ensures the heritage is passed on to the next generation. Alan Doyle’s music is no exception. He took us on a hand clapping, toe tapping, foot stomping sing along journey from his early beginnings with Great Big Sea, to his latest more country outing Rough Side Out opening with We’re Gonna Love Tonight. The song was aptly titled for the evenings setting as there are hints of a hangover in the lyrics with a line like, “It’s going to hurt when the sun starts to rise… but we’re gonna love tonight.” I’m certain that song is more about heartbreak than partying as he covers that topic later with We Don’t Want To Go Home. I’m hoping you’ll allow me some creative license here as I am talking about the biggest kitchen party to hit Edmonton in quite some time. We did love that night and there were plenty of people who woke up on Sunday after the show not liking the sun.

Doyle didn’t waste any time remembering his roots cutting right into Jack Links from Great Big Sea’s  fourth album Turn. He took a moment to catch his breath and engage with us saying how much he loved Edmonton. I know it’s the same sentiment we hear from many acts who pass through any town trying to get the audience on their side, but for Doyle, there was a certain level of sincerity as he named dropped a few places that he would find himself at the end of the night. He told the story of asking many a bartender to please hold last call for a round or two as he and his band mates would walk in after a show hoping for a couple of cold ones. A story that’s conveyed in the aforementioned song,  We Don’t Want To Go Home. His personality was shining brightly with his wide beaming grin, he welcomed us into his musical world and we welcomed him into our metaphorical kitchen.

“It’s hard to describe to others where you call home when your in Texas or California,” pines Doyle “So instead of continuing to explain where Newfoundland is located on the map, I decided to just say, ‘you know where the Titanic sank? Yeah, right there'” Adding “One day I got a letter from the department of tourism for NL asking me to stop telling that story. Newfoundland and Labrador would like something nicer to be associated with.” He then added that Americans could relate to an island state that was it’s own country for a while and joined the union late in the day. “So now I tell them Newfoundland is Canada’s version of Hawaii.” He punctuated that story with the great reeling When I’m Up that got everyone up on their feet where they stayed for most of the night.

In 2017 he was awarded the title of Member of the Order of Canada, cited “for his contributions to the musical traditions of his home province and for his commitment to numerous local charitable initiatives.” And he’s still heavily involved with charities being the co-founder of A Dollar A Day Foundation, created with some friends in 2018, that bridges the gap between accessible funding for mental health and addictions that have short falls. A philanthropist, sound track contributor, Order of Canada recipient and one heck of an entertainer all rolled into an affable human, what’s not to like about Alan Doyle? As one fan shouted during the show, “I love you Alan Doyle” his witty retort was spot on, “Why thank you, but we don’t even know each other yet, perhaps we should go to a movie first and see where it leads.” He still remains as humble as ever.

An east coast songfest wouldn’t be complete without some historical tale. The evening took a somber turn for the song Lay Down to Perish, the story of four sealers, three of which were brothers, who were caught on the ice floes near Fogo Island. The fog rolled in, the wind changed direction and rescue was impossible. So they scrawled their names on a sealing staff with their names and the final words “Down ..Perish.” Doyle was so moved by the story of the discovery of the staff a few months after their deaths in 1917 he did what most musical Newfoundlanders would do, he wrote a song as a tribute. It was moving and deserved to be in the show. Keeping the stories of those who came before them alive is the backbone of all Newfoundland folklore. And it’s nice to see Doyle hasn’t forgotten that important aspect.

Back into the jigs, reels and country music for the rest of the night including a great cover of Mellencamp’s Paper and Fire, featuring fiddling great Kendel Carson who originally hails from Calgary Alberta. She was sporting a cast which was a shame because she’s always so lively on stage dancing and jumping around while fiercely whipping her bow across the strings in a fiery manner. Her pedigree runs deep as she’s played with The Spirit of the West and the Paperboys to name but a couple. Even though she was restricted to a chair, she was still as lively as ever and you could tell she was busting to get up and dance along with everyone else in the house and on stage.

Alan Doyle talked about never having a bad night in Edmonton, although I had a few bad mornings, I’ve never had a bad night. Everyone in the house had a great night as well. It was sad to see it end but we were treated to a great encore that featured Kelly Prescott and the revered Mitch Jay, more on them in a moment. His closing number was a great song, also from Rough Side Out, called I Gotta Go, a fitting tale of being on the never ending road that many musicians find themselves caught on day in and day out. a line from the songs he’ll play 20 songs if they me, 18 if they don’t. Well he must have really loved Edmonton as he treated us to 21 tunes to clap and sing along with. Let’s hope he comes our way again soon. His tour hangs around the west coast until March 8th then picks up again in Ontario on the 24th weaving it’s way through Quebec and the Maritimes. Tickets are selling fast.

Opener Kelly Prescott was a fitting warm up act for the night. Fresh of the heels of her latest 6 song EP, released on Feb 21st, called Love Wins she had a few humourous stories to intro each song, “This is a happy song about divorce.” One of the highlights is the lead single from Love Wins, titled Church, a heartfelt song about divorce and who gets the church. She prefaced the song with a note about the tote bags she has available at the merchandise table that says “Dirty Looks At Safeway” a line from the song. Someone suggested she should shop at Sobeys. Kelly quick with the wit asked the person who shouted out if she owned Sobeys. Kelly Prescott is a welcome addition to the country music scene these days with a genuine voice that sound at home on the road with the likes of Alan Doyle, or on the stage of the famed Grand Ole Opry where she recently made her debut with her family as guests of Terry Clark. The third generation singer songwriter from the Ottawa Valley add a traditional tone that is sorely needed in today’s country music. Joining Prescott on stage we were treated to the great Mitch Jay who adds a great toneful sound with both his Fender Telecaster and the ever dependable Gibson SG. Too bad he didn’t bring along his pedal steel guitar, but as Kelly said, it’s a lot to set up for one or two songs.

For more information on Alan Doyle music or to buy tickets to his upcoming shows visit http://alandoyle.ca/.

To find out more about his foundation visit https://www.adollaraday.ca/.

For information on Kelly Prescott go to http://www.kellyprescottmusic.com/. You won’t be disappointed.